


Hit the Deck, It's Salt and Brine.

by BornofFlame



Series: Flying Dutchman AU [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Flying Dutchman, Happy Ending, M/M, Trans Male Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornofFlame/pseuds/BornofFlame
Summary: Emile joins the crew.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Flying Dutchman AU [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986718
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55





	Hit the Deck, It's Salt and Brine.

**Author's Note:**

> hey, there is heavy, heavy transphobia at the beginning, with misgendering and a character almost getting murdered because of it. I'm sorry, but that's just how the 1930's were.
> 
> anyway, enjoy!
> 
> -ky

_ Somewhere near Cuba, 1933 _

Emile screamed as the man pulled him, dragging him out of his hiding spot.

“Whore.”

“No, no, please, I didn’t mean to hide. I don’t want to be hurt!” Emile pleaded as the man roughly lifted him. The man glared and tugged off the hat that Emile was using to hide his waist length hair.

“Our crew accepts men, not girls like you.”

Emile sobbed as the man tugged at his hair. “I am a man, just like you, please don’t tell your captain!”  
…

“Kill her. She’s a stow, it’ll be an easy toss overboard.” The captain dismissively waved a hand and Emile sobbed again.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, please just listen to me!” He switched to Spanish partway through as the man behind him slapped a dirty hand over his mouth.

“Shut up.”

Emile bit the hand and the man recoiled.

“Por favor no me mates, solo tengo quince! I’m just a child! I just wanted a better--”

The hand cut him off again.

…

The majority of the crew was watching as a few people tied Emile’s legs to an anchor, then his hands together as the poor boy continued to beg, until one man roughly shoved a gag into his mouth and tied another one around his face.

“Whore.” one spat as the tears continued to stream down Emile’s face.

Once everything had been tied, they lifted the struggling boy up and carried him to the side of the ship.

“Women have no place on a ship.” the one holding Emile’s upper body hissed.

With a cheer, they tossed the fifteen year old over the side of the ship.

…

Emile hit the water and immediately started to sink, panicking as he thrashed, trying to keep calm and work free of his bindings.

After thirty seconds though, it was clear that that wasn’t going to happen.

He was going to drown.

At least that’s what he thought. Emile closed his eyes and sighed out the last of his air, already feeling phantom warmth creeping up his hands, the gag from his mouth getting pulled away.

That was until something was pressed against his lips and fresh air was forced into his lungs. Emile’s eyes shot open, making eye contact with storm grey ones.

“What?” He yelped, and the lips were against his again, more air replacing the fog in his mind.

Emile had stopped sinking, and he realized that it was because of the thing in front of him.

They tilted their head and Emile looked down, surprised to see a gorgeous violet and black tail wound around him.

_ Mermaid. _

There was a warbling note sung at him and Emile shrugged. The mermaid’s eyes narrowed in concern and they leaned forward and pushed another breath of air in. There was nothing intimate about the act, but the amount of concern radiating from the being had Emile feeling like he was about to cry.

The mer trilled nervously and a moment later, another set of hands was wrapping around Emile’s shoulders and yet another was near his ankles, loosing the anchor and leaving him wrapped in the embrace of what he assumed were three of the mermaids. They were all trilling and clicking at each other, and occasionally the violet and black one would kiss him again, giving him air.

The group seemed to come to a decision, because then they were wrapping arms around Emile’s waist and shoulders, dragging him up to the surface to breathe.

The violet one moved Emile’s hair. “Hello.”

Emile gasped. “Hi..”

One of the other ones turned Emile’s face to him. This one looked a bit more fish like, with red fins instead of ears and deep brown eyes that matched his skin. “Who hurt you?”

Emile weakly pointed to the ship.

The red one glared and the violet one whistled quietly, the pair clicking back and forth.

The final one swam around and Emile thought that this one was the prettiest, gold scales running up on the side of their face.

“You have a home that we can return you to?”

Emile shook his head.

The red one hissed and trilled. “Where do we take her?”

Emile shook his head. “Him, it’s him please.”

The red one gasped. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me for my grievance.”

The gold one looked at him gently. “Remus could take him. There’s another child on his ship currently.”

The violet one looked across the water. “Janus, you could go warn him that Ro and I are bringing a boy?”

The gold one, Emile guessed that that was Janus, nodded. “Of course. Keep him safe Virgil.”

The violet one nodded. “You know we will.”

…

Emile got to know Virgil and Roman over the course of about a week, as the two had brought him to a secluded cove to recover and rest while the gold mer went and got this Remus person.

Virgil had brought an abalone and pearl knife on the first day, and he had helped Emile cut away the waist length hair.

It was also very clear that Roman and Virgil were close to each other and when he had asked, Virgil had frowned and asked if males were no longer mates with other males back in the human world.

Emile was embarrassed to admit that he was thrown of his ship because you weren’t allowed to be the gender you wanted to be and that he hadn’t seen a homosexual ever.

Virgil had cooed in sympathy and he and Roman had spent the rest of Emile’s time with them telling him stories from pirates and sailors, where you could be whatever you wanted as long as you did your work.

The thing that he liked the most though was when Virgil sang and Roman joined in, singing forgotten shanties that Emile had never heard of.

Then, as all things do, it ended.

…

_ The Flying Dutchman. _

Emile had heard of the ship of course, but nothing could compare to the thing itself and when the rowboat came to pick him up from the beach, Emile had to admit that he was intimidated.

“Hello boy! Get in!” 

Emile clambered in and the man rowing grinned. “I’m Remus, it’s wonderful to meet you. Janus was starting to get on my nerves.”

There was whistling from the water and Remus laughed. “Sorry love.”

“You better be.” Janus’ voice floated up and Emile bit back a giggle. Despite the incredibly intimidating man in front of him, he felt completely calm.

“So, you’re dressed strangely. What year is it?”

“Uh… 1933?”

“Huh, don’t worry laddie, we’ll get you some proper sailor’s clothes!” Remus grunted as the rowboat hit the side of the ship.

“Patton! Throw me the ropes! I got Remy’s new boyfriend!”

“What?” Emile said as ropes came flying down. Remus looked back and shrugged. 

“Just a joke.”

The rowboat was brought up and Remus helped Emile step out. It looked like most of the crew was there, all ranging from a boy who looked about Emile’s age, to an older man who looked older than the captain himself.

“Everyone, this is Emile, we treat him with respect and teach him all we know. Emile, this is everyone.”

Emile waved. The boy around his age grinned and stepped forward. “Hello babes, I’m Remy.”

“Remy, give him time to breathe before you start with the nicknames.” a man with glasses said and Remy rolled his eyes. 

“Course darlin.”

The glasses man sighed. “I’m Logan.”

Slowly the rest of the crew introduced themselves and the first mate brought Emile to the barracks down below to get him new clothes.

Sure, it may be a ghost ship, but Emile can tell that this place will be a better home than anywhere he’s ever been before.

…

There was a rumor of a ship that sailed the lines of the mortal and spiritual realms.

A ship that had sirens and mer that followed it.

A ship that accepted anyone who weren’t wanted by land or sky.

And so the narrator sits back in eir chair and asks you a singular question:

_ Ever heard of the Flying Dutchman my child?  _

**Author's Note:**

> well, that's the end my darlings! I'll miss this AU, but the story is finished and so I must be done as well. I love all of the support that you've given me and one final kudos and comment would be wonderful!
> 
> Thank you! Thank you a thousand times over. I do have other Sanders sides stuff if that interests you lmao, and here's a discord server link to the one I run! [(x)](https://discord.gg/QDCWqVh)


End file.
